Collapsible hexagonal container



March 29, 1949. w. A. RINGLER COLLAPSIBLE HEXAGONAL CONTAINER Filed June13, 1945 WILLIJHM H.R INGLR,

- INVENTOR.

Patented Mar. 29, 1949 2,465,661 COLLAPSIBLE HEXAGONAL CONTAINER WilliamA. Ringler, Wayne, Pa... assignor to The Gardner-Richardson Company,

Middletown,

Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application June 13, 1945, Serial No.599,156

My invention relates to the provision of paperboard packages forarticles of polygonal, round or spherical form, of such structure thatthe package conforms more closely to the shape of the article.

It is an object or my invention to provide polygonal packages other thancubical or rectangular, of one-piece or unitary character, andmanufactured by operations current and usual in the folding cartonindustry. It is an object of my invention to make polygonal cartonswhich can be handled, shipped and stored in the knocked-down condition,but can be readily set up by hand. It is an object of my invention toprovide polygonal containers which when set up are both tight and strongiving good protection to the contents.

My structures, by way of example, may be used as hat boxes, but theyalso may be employed for a wide variety of other articles such, forexample, as game balls, and may be made in appropriate sizes for thepurpose. It is an object of my invention to produce a polygonalcontainer which, as manufactured,.. shipped and stored, is in the formof a tubular structure, and which is produced by bending, cutting andscoring boxboard to produce blanks and by tubing such blanks on theordinary carton tubing machines.

These and other objects of my invention which will be set forthhereinafter or will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon readingthese speciflcations, I accomplish by that construction and arrangementof parts in folding paperboard cartons of which I shall now set forthcertain exemplary embodiments. Reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank for a carton which is hexagonal incross-section.

Figure 2 is an isometric view of the closed carton.

Figure 3 is a partial cross-sectional view through a closure of onetype.

Figure 4 is a partial sectional view of another type of closure which Imay employ, and is taken along the line 44 of Figure 2.

In the practice of my invention I provide tubular structures of fourenclosing body walls in articulation. An opposite pair of body walls isconfigured by score lines to the polygonal shape of the desired carton.The remaining body walls are scored to permit folding about the contourof that polygonal shape. Between projecting portions of the lastmentioned body walls and the first mentioned body walls beyond the saidscore lines, I provide bellows folding portions which 1 Claim. (Cl.22941) serve not only to increase the tightness of the structure, but tomaintain its shape in a rigid fashion. Means for effecting closures arealso included.

In Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, I have shown a carton involving a regularhexagon. Body walls 40, 4|, 42 and, together with a glue flap 44, areprovided, articulated together by means of scores 45, 46, 41 and 48. Thewalls 40 and 42 are demarked by further score lines 49, 50, 5|, 52 intothe desired cross-sectional shape. It will be noted that in the case ofa regular hexagon, scores 49 and 50, as well as scores 5| and 52, meetcentrally of the walls 40 and 42, demarking, in extensions of thesewalls, triangular portions 53, 54, 55 and 56, which meet at the center.triangular portions are angularly bisected by slanting score lines 51,58, 59 and 60.

The walls 4| and 43 are demarked by transverse score lines 6|, 62, 63,64 into portions which will fold and form angularly related sides of thecross-sectional polygon. The ends of walls 4| and 43 are provided withsuitable interengagement means.. These may vary as to form. I have shownat the top of wall 43 an articulated flap 65 having, along its line ofarticulation, a shorter out line 66. I have also shown the wall 4| ashaving at its top an extension 61, of a length equivalent to that of theout line 66 and having articulated-ears 68 and 69 at its ends.

On the bottom ends of walls 4| and 43, I have shown another type ofclosure involving flaps III and II articulated to these wallsrespectively. Cut lines are used to form sub-flaps 12, I3 within thefirst mentioned flaps and articulated to walls 4|, 43 along the samescore lines. The sub-flap I2 is shown as provided with an eyelet l4 andbody wall 4| is shown provided with, a bendable metallic fastener 75.

It will be clear from the description above how the blank of Figure 1may be tubed, as by folding along score lines 48 and 48 with theadhesive juncture of the glue flap 44 to the outer edge of wall 43. Itwill also be clear how the tubed structure may be squared up or erectedand brought into polygonal shape by the inward collapse bellowswise ofthe triangular portions 53, 54,55 and 56.

In the case of the top closure means illustrated at the top of the blankin Figure 1, closure may be efiected by bending inwardly the flap 65,folding over the ears 68 and 69 on the flap 61 and then passing thisflap together with the ears through the cut line or slit 66. The earsThese aseaeei then spring outwardly due to the natural resilience of theboard, locking the structure together, as illustrated in Figure 3. Theturning of the flap inwardly rigidifles the structure at this point, aswill be apparent.

In the case of a closure structure such as is shown at the bottom of theblank in Figure 1, the flaps i and H extend outwardly (Figures 2 and 4)to form handles. The flap 13 extends inwardly. The flap 12 on wall 43laps the anguiarly related portion of the opposite wall, as shown inFigure 4, and the bendable metal fastener I5 may be passed through theeyelet or grommet 14 and bent overso as to hold the box closed. 7

It will be understood that the dimensions as well as the shapes of thevarious walls of my carton may be modified. Thus the walls ll and 43 maybe made of greater or less width to give boxes of different depths.Also, by re-arranging the score lines in walls 40 and andcorrespondingly changing the dimensions of the blank elsewhere, cartonsmay be made to have other cross-sectional shapes. Such shapes mayinvolve other regular polygonal figures, or they,

may involve shapes of polygonal character but irregular both as to thelength and as to the angular disposition of walls of the closed cartonalong the cross-sectional contour. I

Modifications maybe made in my invention without departing from thespirit of it. Having thus described my invention in certain exemplaryembodiments, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentis:

A tubular hexagonal carton formed of a single paperboard blank havingfour main sections and a glue flap in articulation, said main sectionsand said glue flap being of the same length, alternate ones of. saidmain sections being scored to form hexagonal panels, the verticaldiagonal dimensions of which are less than the length of' said sections,said hexagonaliy scored sections being cut inwardly aslant from theircorners to meet the vertically opposite apices of said hexagonal panels,so as to leave triangular portions ing provided with engagement meansfor iastenv ing said ends together, the other ends or said lastmentioned sections being provided with flaps having interiorly cutportions forming sub-flaps, said flaps adapted in the erected structureto come together to form handles with hand-holes, and said sub-flapshaving interengagement means for detachably holding together the saidends of said sections, said carton being foldable on a pair of alternatescorelines intermediate said main sections to allow the carton to becollapsed.

WILLIAM A. RINGLER.

REFERENCES crrrm The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED s'm'ms PATENTS Name Date Davidson Feb. 24, 1925 Berkowitz Sept.29, 1925 Berkowitz Apr. 5, 1927 Schrier Jan. 6, 1931 Wellman Jan. 3,1933 Comley Oct. 3, 1939 Number Loth Apr. 25, 1944 Buttery M--. Mar. 27,1945 Stone July 3, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Apr. 29,1935 Number Palmer Aug. 11, 1942

